Cloud setup: loading the dev-team plugin into a web session¶

This is the focused recipe for making the dev-team@bfinster plugin work in a Claude Code on the web session (claude.ai/code) — in the same session, not the next one. For the broader walkthrough (including the file-based fallback), see using-plugin-skills-in-the-web-environment.md.

Why declaring the plugin isn't enough¶

Claude loads every skill, agent, and slash command once, when it starts. A plugin is only visible if its files are on disk before that happens. So "install the plugin" really means "get the plugin on disk before Claude starts."

That timing is the whole story:

Mechanism	Runs…	Plugin loads…
Setup script (cloud UI)	before Claude boots; filesystem snapshotted & reused	this session ✅
`SessionStart` hook (`.claude/install-dev-team.sh`)	after Claude boots	next session only ⚠️

The Setup script is the supported way to install software before the session starts (you cannot replace the underlying machine image). The SessionStart hook runs too late — the plugin it installs only takes effect in the next session — so use the Setup script as your primary path and the hook as a fallback.

The claude CLI is available in cloud environments, so the install commands below run fine from the Setup script.

The snippet to paste into the Setup script field¶

claude.ai/code → Environment → Setup script. The script below checks whether the plugin is already installed and always exits without error (a non-zero exit fails session startup). It uses a repo-committed bootstrap when one exists, and otherwise installs the plugin directly:

#!/bin/bash
set -uo pipefail
MARKETPLACE_REPO="bdfinst/agentic-dev-team"
PLUGIN="dev-team@bfinster"
ROOT="${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR:-$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)}"
BOOTSTRAP="$ROOT/.claude/scripts/dev-team-bootstrap.sh"
if [ -f "$BOOTSTRAP" ]; then
  bash "$BOOTSTRAP" || echo "[setup] bootstrap reported issues — continuing."
  exit 0
fi
echo "[setup] no $BOOTSTRAP — installing dev-team inline for this session."
if command -v claude >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  claude plugin marketplace add "$MARKETPLACE_REPO" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
  claude plugin install "$PLUGIN" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
fi
exit 0

If you also want this repo's test/gate toolchain (jq, shellcheck, bats, the Python dev deps, gh) in the same step, paste the body of .claude/cloud-setup.sh instead — it installs the toolchain and the plugin, and follows the same exit-0 discipline. It also installs Node 24+ and runs npm ci, which sets up the git hooks (pre-commit, pre-push, commit-msg) so commits and pushes in the cloud session run the same checks you'd run locally. (Skip this only if you don't intend to commit from the session — it adds a minute to setup.)

Verify it worked¶

Run the headless probe in the session. It boots a fresh Claude, lists every available skill, and counts the dev-team:* ones:

claude -p "List the names of every skill available to you, one per line." \
  --max-turns 1 | grep -c '^dev-team:'

Setup	`dev-team:*` skills	`dev-team:ship` present?
Plugin installed via Setup script (pre-boot)	~86	yes ✅
Plugin installed via `SessionStart` hook only (post-boot)	0 (this session)	no ⚠️
No install	0	no

A non-zero count means the plugin loaded this session. (Re-verified in a live cloud session on 2026-06-21: CLI present at v2.1.185, Setup-script install yielded 86 dev-team:* skills including dev-team:ship, loaded same-session.)

Caveats¶

Always exit 0. A non-zero Setup script fails session startup. Guard every optional step with || true and end with an explicit exit 0.
Time budget. The Setup script has a few-minute budget. Keep installs best-effort and time-boxed; don't block on anything that can hang.
Snapshot rebuild triggers. The Setup-script filesystem is snapshotted and reused by later sessions. Editing the Setup script (or other environment config) triggers a rebuild on the next session — that's how an updated script takes effect.
Network policy. A restrictive outbound policy can block marketplace add / install (or pip/apt). When that happens, run skills from their files instead — see Option B in the companion doc.
Ephemeral VM. Anything not committed and pushed is lost when the container is reclaimed.
SessionStart hook is fallback only. .claude/install-dev-team.sh (gated by DEV_TEAM_CLOUD_INSTALL=1) installs the plugin too late for the current session; it lands next session. Use the Setup script for same-session loading.